Merlin-class packet boat
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Merlin |
| Builders: | Pembroke Dockyard |
| Operators: |
 Royal Navy
|
| In service: | 1839–72 |
| Completed: | 3 |
| Scrapped: | 3 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type: | Packet boat |
| Tons burthen: | 889 14/94 bm |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 33 ft 2 in (10.1 m) |
| Depth: | 16 ft 5 in (5.0 m) |
| Installed power: | 312 nhp |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Steam engines |
| Armament: | 2 × 6-pdr carronades |
The Merlin-class packet boat was a trio of 2-gun paddle packet boats built for the Royal Navy during the 1830s. Two of the three ships were immediately commissioned for packet service at Liverpool and the third was not commissioned until 1848 for packet service in the Mediterranean. Merlin and Medina were later converted into service as survey ships and Medusa was converted into a tugboat. Merlin and Medina also saw service off the West African coast during the 1850s.
The ships had a length at the gun deck of 175 feet (53.3 m) and 153 feet 6 inches (46.8 m) at the keel. They had a beam of 33 feet 2 inches (10.1 m), and a depth of hold of 16 feet 5 inches (5.0 m). The ships' tonnage was 889 14⁄94 tons burthen. The Merlin class was armed with a pair of 6-pounder carronades.
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